Michalek won’t face Rangers, Kaspar off to Worcester, and final thoughts on Detroit

The Sharks hope to have their bounce-back game against the New York Rangers tonight and whatever happens, it’ll happen without Milan Michalek in the lineup.

“He won’t go tonight, but he’s feeling much better,” Sharks Coach Todd McLellan said after a morning skate in which Michalek did not participate.

I went back and reviewed the apparent hits that caused the upper body injury keeping Michalek out of action. In the first, he was slightly bent over along the boards, protecting the puck, when Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot. He got up and continued playing, but eight seconds later he was more or less shoved to the ice by Michael Peca. The first hit certainly looks like the one that caused the damage.

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The Sharks also sent Lukas Kaspar back to Worcester, keeping Tom Cavanagh and Jamie McGinn around as a pecking order develops among the rookies being rotated into the lineup.

Other than that, just a couple leftover matters from that loss in Detroit and a quick look-ahead to the Rangers.

******McLellan was asked if he thought about replacing Evgeni Nabokov with Brian Boucher at any point during that 6-0 loss to Detroit.

“It was 2-0 after one, 3-0 after two.” McLellan said. “The last three goals they scored on Nabby were in the last 10 minutes and I didn’t want to put Bouche in for the last five minutes of the game. We started it as a group, we were going to finish it as a group. There was no thought at all of pulling him.”

McLellan also said he didn’t single Nabokov out for any post-game conversation — “He was one of 20.”

******McLellan was also asked if he expected any lingering after-effects from that 6-0 loss when his team takes the ice tonight.

“There’s always lingering effects. There’s lingering effects from a win and a loss. We don’t want to experience that loss, but now that we have it’ll be good for us to learn a lot about each other tonight. It’s one of those tests that I talk about – how do we respond 1) traveling, playing a lot of hockey, coming back home from that road trip, and 2) taking it on the chin the way we did. We’ll see.”

******Defenseman Dan Boyle said tonight’s game became a little more significant because of the defeat in Detroit.

“I think it needs to be important, where we need to get backto our winning ways,” Boyle said. “If you want to look at it as glass half-empty, we’ve lost two in a row. We’d certainly like to win. The holidays are coming up and you don’t want to go into those holidays on the wrong note.”

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

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so who is replacing Michalek on the wing? maybe Cheechoo? I want him to get more minutes to prove himself. all he needs is a confidence boost. We need this win. if we are going to be taken seriously this season we need to bounce back in fashion by beating a top eastern conference team.

Jeeper

#1, sounds like we’ll see the same line as in Detroit, with Cheech aside Pavs & Clowe. I didn’t see the game, but my son claims they were the best line in Detroit (which, admittedly, isn’t saying much).

David, I was hoping to see you at Scott’s party last night and tell you what a great job you’re doing covering the Sharks. Guess your travel plans conflicted. Anyway, keep up the good work! You’re almost the only thing worth reading in the Merc anymore (well, Scott, too. And Mark, sometimes).

tadpole

Sort of a tangential note here, but I had the time so I watched the latest Comcast rebroadcast of a Sharks classic game, the win over Toronto in the playoffs a few years back. Odgers only came in the last minute and totally destroyed whatever game civility that was left…but I digress.

I was absolutely struck by what a different game Hockey is and how it is played today vs 10 years ago. The amount of interference, clutching, grabbing, hooking and general stick work was amazing. And having only one ref to keep track of everything and with guys getting away with infractions…I had forgotten how frustrating the game could be then, and how much I enjoy watching it how.

The only thing I would see changed is an automatic match and suspension for head shots, accidental or not. Brain injuries are a bad thing, and although concussions are recoverable in the short run, there are long term implications of what regular head shots will do to a person when they get old. I really would like the league to do something about this…and soon before we have another train wreck in the NHL.

Stevo

I’ll agree with Mr. Boyle and Chivas. This game is important to a certain extent.

I’ll also agree with Jeeper in the view that Mr. P. and the Sharks coverage is the only area of the Smerc worthy of our eyeballs.

I only wish Mr. P. covered the A’s as well.

Stevo

Well, at least we got the win. The boys were tired in the 3rd. Good timeout.

I was having flashbacks to previous Sharks teams – watching them desperately hang on in the 3rd for the win. Had to hit the Tums.

What was that all about? We looked SO slow out there. Taking nothing away from the Rangers at all, who showed that they are a very good team, we sure lost a lot of individual battles, and rarely showed our speed. The last few games, I think it has gone to their head a bit. They are way to casual with the puck in the defensive zone, often skipping the simple play of just clearing the zone, in favor of either a fancy pass for a quick breakout, or a frustrating pass BACK into the zone. Teams are starting to pick up on it. The Rangers heavily fore checked, so some success. Nabby stole that one for us. Thornton did not look very special tonite, making many giveaways, and being manhandled off the puck for the most part. Boyle also made another poor play, trying to get the puck to a covered player at the blue line, which lead directly to the shorthanded goal. To me, McLellan looked none to happy on the bench.

findesicle

They looked really tired tonight and definitely slow (and at times lax) both getting to and clearing the puck in their own end. Is anybody else noticing that Pav’s is definitely not skating 100% since his return. There have been loose pucks up for grabs both tonight and in Columbus that he has just not been able to get to; pucks that he normally would always contest and usually win. And Cheech is just not the same player he was at the beginning of the year, before he twice re-injured whatever “killed” him last year. So without Michalek (and don’t forget JR) you got problems. Just keep your fingers crossed one of the top 6 D don’t go down during this. Anyway it is still December and a long way from May!

Linkster

Something weird about air travel right before Christmas… massive storms, passenger stress, delays and diversions, flu and sickness.

Even though the team flies charter, I’d say last week’s trip was a big negative ‘intangible’ and it manifested via the Sharks’ 3rd period malaise.

Plus Michalek out, and Plihal ineffective after his first period flattening. Cheech still doesn’t have his legs back, and Pavelski needs 2 more games to fine tune.

You’re right, Thornton looked weak… probably exhaustion, especially late in the 3rd. He couldn’t stand up when the 3 stars were announced post-game. I think he convinced Nabokov to do the post-game bench interview in his place because he couldn’t catch his breath.

Linkster

But…

2 points tonight = go Sharks!

Nick_G

RE: Last thread and the “perks” us STH’s all can’t live without.

I loved the license plate holder and I would think that cost more than $5. Let’s say the thing cost them $10 to give to the STH’s. With roughly 60% (guess, I think it may be more) of the games sold to STH that’s $105k dollars in Xmas gifts. That’s an expenditure I would want them to cut before taking away my discount or increasing my ticket prices next year even more to pay for it.

Also, does anyone remember the request at the meeting with DW and STH where one fan asked for more privacy in the men’s bathrooms at the urinals? The request was almost as ridiculous as complaining about thinking fans buy season tickets solely for the perks.

Linkster

Nick_G: Was that the same STH/DW meeting where someone complained that the women’s bathroom cold water taps were too cold?

A more appropriate question: Are some people with the minimum $6000 for season tickets too stupid to breathe air?

Just wondering…

goaliepuke

Linkster and Nick_G, rotflmao…..

GP

goaliepuke

In the post game interview with Joe T. He indeed was exausted.

The whole team was. DB, PM, Seto, maybe the only with any gas left.

IMO, it was a good bounce back game. I wasn’t great. But they stuck basically to the system. That’s why they won. That and Nabby saved the bacon in the 3rd.

Nabby had a great bounce back game.

goaliepuke

lol, errata:

IMO, it was a good bounce back game. It wasn’t great.

GP

goaliepuke

Stevo, didn’t know you were an As fan. At least I know you aren’t splitting game watching between baseball and hockey.

GP

Stevo

Unlike you GP? …. starting in just over 2 weeks at Kapalua? 😉

As for me, I sure hope I’m flipping channels between the Sharks in the SCF’s and A’s games come June!

EC

Two observations on last nights game:

– Defensive shooting, mostly in the early part of the game, but it set the tone. This was a mental mountain that the sharks couldn’t overcome against the wings.

– Fatigue as apparent. topcat asks why they were so slow. Listen to the commentary from everyone: Bakes, TV guys, players. Give them a break dude. They got the win, what more can you ask?

Wan8iv

Both teams were exhausted the Rangers were on a long road trip
themselves. It was great Sharks gutted it out and Nabby was once
again outstanding. Scoring on the 5-3 was the key so many teams
miss that opportunity and it comes back to beat you.

Wan8iv

Linkster thanks for the heads up about the time into the
podcast that he comes on.

WI JW

He’s no doubt giving it his all, but if Pavs was 100%, he’d be killing penalties, taking faceoffs and on the ice when the game was on the line. None of which occurred last night.
Sure wish somebody would bury some the passes he puts right in front of the net!
All is not yet right with #8 and I hope he regains form before long.

goaliepuke

Stevo, You caught me! 🙂 I will be watching both, Hockey first — through June.

tadpole

#6 Linkster, thanks for the link. Another link to further bury myself in Sharks minutia to fill my inner fan’s need. Good discussion.

DP, I can’t believe you’re calling us spoiled fans! 😀

Sharks247

Glad I wasn’t the only one to notice that we were step behind on the ice last night. It hurt my heart to see how hard the boys in Teal had to work just to make the simple plays/passes. 3rd period they looked totally gassed. Looked like TM started making the quick line changes late in the 2nd period. When Jumbo starts getting those dark circles under his eyes, that’s the sign he’s tired, tired, tired. The dark circles weren’t quite sinking in yet, but you could see they were there.

I think the game against the Kings and Blue Jackets took a lot out of them because for both those games, the boys were flying across the ice like they had wings. Fast, fast games. Add different time zones and bad weather, by the time they got to Detroit, they didn’t have much left for the 2nd and 3rd periods.

I’ve done the west/east coast commute (SF to DC) every 2 weeks for 10+ years. It’s a b@tch. This time of year is the worst because of all the storms. Even with their special chartered flights, they are just as impacted as the regular travelers; a bumpy ride doesn’t make things better. They got home late and didn’t have the proper time to recover, its just that simple. For years, I barely went anywhere on weekends because by the time I got home to the bay area, I was totally exhausted – and I didn’t skate up and down the ice getting body-checked for 3 periods before getting on the plane.

They all did the best they could and they won the game – even if it wasn’t pretty. 2 points is 2 points.